Mandatory Downtime
by Ninja-Consultant
Summary: After the events of Betrayal, Match is placed on the inactive roster. How will he adjust to a new action-free lifestyle? Will he drive Superboy crazy? A four chapter story. Completed.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Also, if you have not read my other stories, it would be helpful to do so before reading this one. The chronology goes: Brothers in Arms, Where Do We Go From Here, Tragedies of the Past, Betrayal From Within, Future Sins, Reestablishing Bonds, Parents and Children, New Allies, Rivals or Friends, Public Enemy Number One, Double Date, Mind Games, Solar Complications, Mentors and Pupils, Brother Against Brother, Calm Before the Storm, Opening Moves, Isolation, The Great Father and Son Contest, Fugue State, Fallout, Holidays, Confidence and Envy, and Betrayal.

Mandatory Downtime, chapter 1

Location: the Kent's farm

Kon looked at his brother. Max was in his costume as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Aren't you supposed to be laying low?" he asked.

"I don't think it's necessary," Match responded.

"You just did that undercover assignment," Kon pointed out. "The villain community is out for your blood."

"As opposed to normal? Come on, let's fly out to the Titans."

"Why don't you talk to Cyborg first?"

Match rolled his eyes and pulled out his communicator. "Fine. This is Match; I'm coming out to the Tower, okay?"

There was a pause and Batman's voice answered. "Negative. You're on reserve status until it's safe."

Match frowned. "You're not serious, are you?"

"I know you'd try this end run; that's why I left instructions that any call you made be forwarded to me."

Match turned off his communicator and looked furious. "Man, this sucks!"

Kon shrugged. "Enjoy your time off. I wish I got a vacation."

Location: the Kent's farm, a short time later

Martha and Jonathan left to go to their weekend dance class (taken at Martha's insistence), leaving Max home alone. He had already tried calling Dan, but he was helping his father at the mechanic's until late afternoon.

Max looked around and muttered, "Bored."

He thought about getting in contact with Mrs. Chen, but they had an agreement that he would only contact her once a month unless it was an emergency. His lack of anything to do did not constitute one. He worked a little on one of his personal projects but quickly realized he wasn't in the mood.

He decided to work on the Kent's tractor. It wasn't really used anymore, so there had to be _something_ wrong with it. He took out the tools and started taking it apart. Pieces of it were soon scattered around, and Max was examining and cleaning them.

Location: Titan's Tower

"What do you think Match is up to?" Cassie asked.

Kon shrugged. "He's probably working on some serious project or cleaning. He knows how to keep himself busy."

Location: the Kent's farm

Max realized he had underestimated the amount of time the tractor would take when Dan and his father pulled up in their car.

"What the hell happened here?" Mr. Reiner asked, looking at the scattered tractor parts on the ground.

"I guess I was bored and got a little too involved in this," Max admitted.

"You're a very strange boy."

"I'll help you put it back together," Dan volunteered.

"Are you really going to use this if it gets put back together?"

"There's the possibility that we might plant some crops," Max noted.

Dan, who had heard the Kent's constant comments about being glad they didn't have to farm at their age, asked, "By 'we' do you really mean 'if I get bored again?'"

"It would be a waste if nothing's done with this land," Max argued weakly.

"You'd plant a field because you were bored?" Dan's father asked, incredulously. "How weird are you?"

Max turned to Dan. "Am I weird?"

"Yes, but it's okay," Dan reassured him.

Location: Titan's Tower

"Kon, I think you need to see this," Robin called out.

Curious, Kon went over to the computer Robin was at. "What's up?"

"These are images of the Kent's farm from the JLA's satellite," Robin said, pointing at the screen. "Do you think there's any good reason for Match to be surrounded by tractor parts?"

Kon sighed and put a hand to his head. "I bet he was bored. My brother is so weird."

Location: the Kent's farm

Mr. Reiner ruffled his son's hair. "Do you need me to help with this?"

Dan automatically smoothed his hair back into place. "Nah, I should be okay here. I'll call you when I'm ready to come home."

"Would you like to have dinner here?" Max offered. "I can easily whip up something after you're done with work."

"It's not going to be anything strange like monkey brains, is it?" Mr. Reiner asked.

"No, it's difficult to get fresh monkey brains in this country. I've had frozen ones shipped, but they just aren't as good."

"He's joking," Dan assured his father, who was looking a little nauseous. "He's got a strange sense of humor, or whatever passes for one."

After his father left, Dan took a look at everything on the ground. "Let's get started."

Dan was explaining the proper procedures to putting an engine back together when he abruptly stopped. "You're not paying attention to me."

"That's not true," Max protested.

"You have that distracted look on your face. Don't lie to me!"

"Okay, I wasn't really focused on what you were saying," Max admitted.

"I knew it!"

"But I was really paying attention to you. You've been in that mechanic's uniform for five, six hours now?"

"Are you saying I stink? Oh, you're in trouble-"

Max leaned in to grab him by the arm and pull him close. "Your scent has been driving me crazy ever since you got here."

Dan reddened. "I think we can get this back together in thirty minutes. Let's do that first."

Max nodded.

Location: the Kent's farm, later that evening

Jonathan and Martha were a little surprised to have guests for dinner and more surprised to find that their tractor had been looked at and was all ready to be used.

Jonathan took it in stride, but Martha was a little more perceptive.

"Max," she said, "you were bored, weren't you?"

Dan laughed as Max blushed and nodded.

"Why don't we try to find you a hobby that doesn't involve disassembling farm machinery?"

-----

Any and all comments welcome!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Mandatory Downtime, chapter 2

Location: Titan's Tower

"Robin, how long do you think Match is going to be on the inactive roster?" Kon asked.

Robin thought about it. "I can see him being out of the field for anywhere between one and six months."

Kon sighed and put his head down on a table.

"What's wrong?" Cassie asked.

Kon looked up with an expression of despair on his face. "He's driving me crazy!"

"Match?" Bart asked incredulously. "He's way too well-behaved."

Kon nodded. "He is too well-behaved, but that's part of the problem. To keep himself busy, he's picked up all sorts of hobbies and pursued them with crazy energy."

"Like what?" Robin asked, not missing a chance to catalogue the interests and skills of the white-haired teen.

"First, he took apart a tractor that's likely to never be used again. That didn't stop him from cleaning it and giving it a maintenance check before putting it back together again."

"That's pretty bad," Robin acknowledged.

"It didn't stop there. He got a lot of fabric and started making clothes."

"He's being productive, at least. What's he made?"

"Before the sewing machine was taken away from him, he made me three shirts, two suits, and a tuxedo. He made a similar amount of clothes for himself, the Ken-, er, people we live with, his boyfriend, and his boyfriend's father."

"You have to be exaggerating!" Robin said in disbelief. "He didn't have enough time for that. He's only been on mandatory downtime for three weeks!"

"I think he's given up sleep."

"What else has he done?" Bart asked.

"He's been talking about planting a garden."

"That seems harmless."

"When he's drawn up plans for it to be an acre large? He's so earnest about these things that I feel bad when he's stopped or something's taken away; it's like scolding a puppy."

"Have you asked Superman for help?"

"He brought him one of those books with five hundred crossword puzzles. It lasted six hours."

"So, you're saying we need to stage an intervention," Cassie said.

"That or put him in suspended animation! I know that as crazy as he's driving the people around him, he's being driven even crazier, but it doesn't make it easy."

"He could always be kidnapped by a drug kingpin and forced to participate in an underground fighting tournament," Bart suggested.

There was silence as all the other Titans stared at him.

"It's just a suggestion," he said defensively. "It works in the movies!"

"I can talk with Batman and see if any of the restrictions can be eased," Robin offered.

"Thanks," Kon said. "I appreciate it."

Location: the Kent's farm

Max stared at the screen and tried to keep his expression neutral. Oracle had just to stop meddling and shut him out of the system. He was tempted to log back in on one of his secret accounts to argue with her, but he knew that she'd simply ban it.

He sighed. He knew that he was behaving irrationally. He should consider his downtime as an opportunity to rest and refocus himself. It's just that he had never had such an extended period of time to himself without any goals.

He knew that he couldn't focus on Conner and Dan's training any more. He had worked it out a long time ago, and tinkering with it just because he was feeling restless was a mistake. The one hobby he had started that had not been taken away was tennis, and that's because he limited himself to hitting the ball against the barn for an hour or two a day.

He opened a web browser to a news site. Perhaps scanning the headlines would keep him busy for a while.

One caught his eye. He clicked on the link and read the article. This...had possibilities. His resources were enough to acquire the company. Trying to shepherd it through its current times would be a challenge, especially since he'd be forced to do it through intermediaries. Adding to its difficulty would be concealing his activities from everyone else; they wouldn't understand why he was doing it. Of course, there was an ulterior motive in doing so; he would delight in making sure that man would never be able to take it back.

Before he took steps, he wanted to do his research. As one of his various shell accounts was already an owner of a portion of the company, he had access to the most recent shareholder's report. He read it thoroughly and then again. He thought about the company's strengths and its competitors. The analysts were unanimous in saying the company was dying and that it was only a matter of time before it dissolved.

He picked up one of his secured mobile phones and called a number. "Hello, David, I'd like to make an acquisition."

Location: The Batcave

Bruce held back a yawn as he parked the Batmobile. It had been a very long night. He was looking forward to one of Alfred's hot meals and then getting some sleep.

Alfred was there with a delicious omelet and the morning's paper. "I trust you had a productive evening, Master Bruce?"

"Very, Alfred," he said, smiling as he took both.

As he ate, he looked through the paper. Alfred was reminding Bruce on his plans for the evening when he noticed that he was intently reading one of the articles.

"Is something the matter, Master Bruce?" he asked.

"Somebody has bought out all of Lexcorp's stock and taken it private," Bruce said, sounding serious. "The buyer is hiding behind a shell company."

"Who would want to buy that company?" Alfred asked. "It's been declining sharply."

"It still has quite a bit of advanced technology. I was thinking of having WayneTech acquire it when it was cheaper."

"Ah. So, someone has beaten you to the punch?"

"Yes. I'll have to see if I can find out who."

-----

Any and all comments welcome!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Mandatory Downtime, chapter 3

Location: the JLA Watchtower

"I hope you know what you're doing," Batman said, grimly. "This isn't a good idea."

"I disagree," Match said. "This exercise will be good for him. He's been commenting on being bored. A little change once in a while can be good and reinvigorate the mind."

"I don't think you've thought this through. The stimuli could overwhelm him."

"I think you're underestimating him."

"I warned you," Batman said before he walked away.

Match opened the door and smiled. "Hello, Thaddeus."

"Hi, Match," the young man said. "What's up?"

"I've received permission to take you out of here for the day. Are you interested?"

"Cool! I am! What are we going to do?"

"I thought we'd go to the Most Happiest Place on Earth theme park."

Location: the Most Happiest Place on Earth theme park

"There they are," Bart hissed. "Hide!"

Conner sighed. "What are we doing here, again? Why do you want to spy on Max and Thad?"

"Batman asked me to. This is an official Bat-sanctioned mission!"

"Why didn't you drag Tim along? Why me?"

"I thought you'd want to see what they're plotting together."

"The fiends! I bet they're nefariously plotting to get on the rollercoaster!"

"You think so?"

"Bart, don't be ridiculous. The worst thing they could do is get hopped up on sugar and bounce around like, er, hyperactive teenagers."

"Wouldn't they be hyperactive teenagers at that point?"

"I was convinced I had a great simile before I lost it."

"What's that green band Inertia's wearing around his wrist?"

"As I understand it, it's his power negator disguised as one of those statement bands."

"What's a statement band?"

"That may not be the right word for it. It's to show you're for or against something. I think the color green is supposed to declare that the wearer is against cancer."

"So, is he trying to say that I'm for cancer because I'm not wearing one?"

Meanwhile, Max and Thad were trying very hard to not stare at Bart and Conner.

"Does he really think that pole will hide him?" Thad asked.

"Thaddeus, let's just continue on," Max said.

"Sometimes, it's embarrassing to have been cloned from him."

"Have the two of you ever talked?"

"Um, does talking with your fists count?"

"I take it that means you haven't."

"I've been in the JLA Watchtower. Even if I wanted, I couldn't. He knows where I am; he could come to me."

"Let's obtain a map and some beverages."

"Aren't those supposed to be expensive? Even in the fut-, I mean, where I come from, theme parks make obscene amounts of money on food and drinks."

"I obtained funds for them. I came prepared."

Bart noticed the two on the move. "Okay, let's follow them!"

"They're not going anywhere," Conner said. "They just got on line for some food. If it moves like every other line here, they'll be there for a while."

"Why aren't you taking this seriously?"

"Bart, we're at an amusement park. It's a place where the mascot is a surfer wombat. They're just here to go on a few rides and walk around."

"Aren't you curious to see what they're talking about?"

"Sure, I am. I'm just not so curious that I want to eavesdrop. That would mean I don't trust them."

"Do you really trust Inertia?"

"I don't know him that well. Max introduced me, and we talked a little. He seemed shy."

"You thought he was shy?"

"Have you talked to him at all since he's been in the Watchtower?"

"I was going to see him once, but something came up."

"You might get a lot of the issues between the two of you sorted out if you talked."

"He knows where I am. He could send an e-mail or something."

Max handed Thad his drink and looked at the map. "What would you like to see?"

"We've got to hit the rollercoaster," Thad said. "Also, I'd really like to go on the waterslide. I didn't bring a swimsuit, though."

"There's not likely to be a line for the waterslide, but it is late in the year. The temperature may not be conducive to it."

"I want to do it! The guide says it's a heated pool."

Max thought about it. "There is enough money to purchase swimsuits, but even with the heated water it could be unpleasant afterwards. Damp hair won't be fun with this weather."

"Let's do it after the rollercoaster then."

"If you insist."

"You're right, Conner!" Bart hissed. "They are plotting to get on the rollercoaster!"

Conner tried another tact. "If you wanted to be sure they're not doing anything bad, we could always join them. They couldn't do anything when we're right there."

"We won't catch them in the act, if we do that!"

"'In the act?' Of what?"

"You know! Them doing...something."

Conner sighed. "We're going to join them for lunch."

"But, we won't be able to see what they're up to! They'll call it off!"

"I've got more field experience in this area. Trust me."

The rollercoaster was a disappointment. It wasn't the sort of thing that either Conner or Max cared for, and it was far too slow for Bart and Thad.

"Now it's time for the water slide," Thad stated.

"If you get pneumonia, don't blame me," Max warned.

"Are you always like this?"

"Like what, Thaddeus?"

"Always so formal. You always call me by my full name, you don't really smile, and you have a very precise way of speaking."

Max thought about it. "Not always, but I'm usually like that."

"How many other people do you argue with about science?"

"We don't argue; we discuss recent achievements. You're the only one I talk to about it in depth. I occasionally mention something to the Atom and receive feedback from him."

"I can't imagine what sort of party animal you are at school. You're one of the quiet, studious types, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"How do you put up with the loud, unfocused people that abound?"

"I generally have a lot of patience. Strong feelings of guilt don't hurt, either."

"Why the guilt?"

"For what I've done."

"Did that sense of guilt drive you to look after me?"

"It played a minor role. We're very much alike, and that drove me more."

"Except I like water slides, and you're worried about pneumonia."

Max shook his head. "Fine, we'll go on the water slide. You can't go to a surfer wombat theme park without doing it."

"I'm glad you agree."

Bart noticed where they were headed. "Okay, they're getting swimsuits for the water slide! We've got to follow them!"

Conner thought about being wet in the cold. "Why don't you follow them up, and I'll wait at the bottom? That way, we'll be sure to not lose sight of them."

"That's a great plan! You're good at this sneaking stuff!"

Conner felt a little guilty for tricking Bart, but he really didn't feel like getting soaking wet. His ears were already ringing a little, and he didn't think that getting water in them would help.

Thad was having second thoughts about the whole thing since he was shivering while in line. After arguing for it, he could hardly back down. Max looked unaffected by the temperature, but Thad remembered that he was solar-powered.

Max noted that Thaddeus was shivering. "If you wish, I can put my arm around you to help keep you warm."

Thad coughed in surprised. "I'm not sure that's really needed."

"It was merely a suggestion. It's the most efficient way to keep warm."

"You don't think it would draw attention?"

"It would, but I don't pay attention to the prejudices of other people. I do not wish to make you uncomfortable. Another way that will help is to stick your hands under your armpits."

"That would make me look like a dork," Thad objected.

"Perhaps, but you'd be warm."

Bart was disappointed. This sounded so normal. There was a distinct lack of plotting to take over the world. It was just possible that Conner was right and these two were just her for regular recreation. He could believe that of Max, but Inertia should have tried to tempt him to do something illegal.

The three teens went down the water slide. Max admitted to himself that it was much better than the rollercoaster. However, coming out of the heated water was quite unpleasant. He could hear Thaddeus and Bart's teeth start to chatter.

Conner was waiting at one of the tables by the pool and waved them over; he was giving up on the 'covert' part of this 'mission.'

Max put on a show of being surprised. "Conner! What are you doing here?"

"Please," his brother responded. "You know I've been here since the beginning."

He waved to Bart, who was trying to hide in the pool. "Bart, come over and say hi to Max and Thad!"

Bart dragged his feed over and hissed, "Why'd you blow our cover?"

"We've known you were there since the beginning," Thad told Bart in a smug tone. "You suck at sneaking."

"No fighting," Max warned. "Everyone get dried and changed before you get sick."

"Just meet here after you're done," Conner said.

A few minutes later, they gathered at the table.

"Why didn't you get on the water slide?" Thad asked Conner.

"Duh," Bart said. "He was keeping an eye on you if you tried to take off after riding the slide."

Conner coughed. "Something like that."

Max knew his brother was lying, but decided to gloss over that. "I don't believe the two of you have been introduced in this situation. Thaddeus, this is my brother, Conner. Conner, this is Thaddeus."

"It's nice to meet you under better conditions," Kon said.

"Um, yeah," Thad said, at a loss on what to say to someone he used to fight. "The weather's nice, isn't it?"

Kon stared at him for a second before bursting into laughter. "You're talking about the weather! That's so...like Max."

"I only resorted to talking about the weather three times over the course of seventeen weeks," Max defended himself. "That isn't bad."

"How many times were on the Watchtower?"

"Just twice. Shut up."

"You asked about the weather there?" Thad asked, incredulously. "That's pretty bad."

"I only did it because it was clear that my silence was disturbing others. Now, I scan the sports pages so I have a topic for conversation."

"So, what do you do all day?" Bart asked Thad.

"I watch television, read books, and play video games," Thad answered. "It's pretty relaxing."

"What's your favorite game?"

"Right now, it's Devil Ninja Assault Battle. It's got some pretty sweet graphics and game play."

"Really? I like that one, too! Have you gotten past the cyborg dinosaur boss?"

Conner and Max looked on bemusedly as the two talked about various different video game strategies.

"I believe we should adjourn to lunch now," Max eventually said.

"Okay," Bart agreed. "Why'd you go on the waterslide before lunch, though?"

"That's easy," Conner said. "You're supposed to wait one hour after eating before you get in the water. Max is a great believer in safety."

At lunch, Max noticed Conner was acting a little oddly. "What's wrong?"

"There's a ringing in my ears," Conner admitted. "It's been bothering me all day."

"Did you get any water in your ears?" Bart asked. "Do you have allergies? Did you get hit in the head recently?"

"No, to all of those," Conner answered.

Max looked at his brother, thinking about the possibilities. He then let out a sharp whistle that caused Conner to bring his hands to his ears.

"What are you doing? I tell you I have ear problems and you let out a whistle like that?"

Thad looked confused. "I didn't hear anything."

"Neither did I," Bart said.

"That was a frequency out of normal human hearing," Max explained. "It would appear that you've developed a power new to you."

"You've got this already," Conner stated. "How did you get it under control?"

"I had to concentrate on one sound to block everything else out. Can you do that?"

"I'm not sure I can really concentrate right now, but I'll try."

A few moments passed, and nothing happened.

"I can't do it right now," Conner admitted.

"Let me do a quick fix," Max said.

He got out of his chair and came up behind his brother. He put his fingers on Conner's temples and began to softly massage them.

The ringing in Conner's ears stopped.

"It worked! What did you do, some manipulation of pressure points?"

Max sat in his chair again. "I manipulated your inner ear a bit to reduce your hearing. Don't tell anyone, they get upset when I do things like that."

"You can use your telekinesis for that fine a detail?" Thad asked.

"How'd you learn what to manipulate?" Bart asked.

"I can use my powers with a delicate touch," Max explained. "I tried this particular technique out on myself a couple of times."

"You did what?" Conner asked, horrified.

"The theory was sound, but it took a couple of practice runs to perfect the technique. The first time I did it, I lost my hearing for a couple minutes. The second, I screwed up my equilibrium."

"Didn't you promise to stop doing life-risking maneuvers with your powers?" Conner said, bringing out his big brother voice.

"It's not like I was playing around with my heart or brain," Max defended himself. "It was a relatively harmless experimentation."

"Do you have any self-preservation instinct at all?" Thad asked.

"I do," Max replied, making a face. "You guys are blowing this out of proportion."

"You just seem to have a track record of doing this," Conner said. "It's not like this is an isolated event. When did you perform your crazy experiments?"

"During our enforced study time. I don't know why I have to; I finish all my homework before getting home."

"It's things like that which have driven our class overachievers into despair. You wrecked their dreams of becoming valedictorian."

"I completely would have pegged him as a trouble maker," Bart said.

"I don't get the choice," Max said, shortly.

"You're way too serious about it," Conner said. "You don't have to be so perfectly well-behaved; you can do something crazy once in a while. Just no self-experimentation, please."

"Excuse me, I need to make a phone call," Max said. "I'll be back in a moment."

Location: following Max

Max walked over to the phones and, once he was sure he was out of the sight of the others, went over to two people reading newspapers on the bench.

He pulled the newspapers down and asked, "What do you think you're doing?"

Wally West looked guilty. "I just wanted to make sure everything was okay."

Clark tried to change the subject. "You four look like you're having a good time."

"Setting those two up as a distraction wasn't enough," Max said. "I can hear you from a mile away. Conner's going to be able to."

"Speaking of which, we need to have a little talk about these experiments you do on yourself."

"We'll talk about that later. For now, stop spying on us."

Location: in the shadows

Bruce smirked. He knew that Bart and Conner would be found out immediately. He was also highly confident that Max would be able to pick out Clark and Wally from the crowd. However, the teen wasn't thinking that those two were set up as a distraction.

He had seen enough. He silently acknowledged that Match may have been correct about Inertia. Superboy's increased senses were quite intriguing; Bruce had wondered what new power the teen would develop next.

All in all, it was a productive trip. Now, he could leave before he lost his temper with the stupid surfer wombat mascot and its incessantly annoying theme song.

Location: the Kent's farm

That night, Conner asked, "Did you think they'd bond over video games?"

"I didn't think they would do it so quickly," Max admitted. "They are speedsters, though."

"Too bad they couldn't have bonded like we did; getting in trashy clothes and beating up kidnappers."

"Not everyone can pull that off."

"So, did you and Batman set this all up? Were you trying to get them to reconcile?"

"I wanted them to, but I thought one of them was going to have to take the first step."

"You didn't answer my question about whether you planned this," Conner noted.

Max snorted. "I'm not nearly sneaky enough to have thought of that. I was discouraged from taking Thaddeus out, mostly because they were worried he'd find a way to defeat his power inhibitor and run off."

"What about Batman?"

"He wasn't there," Max said confidently. "Do you really think he could stand being in a surfer wombat theme park? It'd be like matter and antimatter."

Conner grinned. "Yeah, he'd go crazy there."

-----

As you might have guessed from its length, this chapter was originally the entire story, but I decided to flesh out other aspects.

Any and all comments welcome!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Mandatory Downtime, chapter 4

Location: the JLA Watchtower

Dr. Mid-nite was surprised to hear that Match had requested a meeting with him. Other than a few medical checks, he hadn't had any contact with the teen.

He entered the medical bay, and Match was already there.

"Hello, Dr. Mid-nite," he greeted him. "Thank you for coming."

He noted the lights were off, probably to make him more comfortable. "I would have thought that you'd like to be somewhere else than here."

"This room has been almost a second home to me, hasn't it? Regardless of that, I'd like you to examine me. There are few places equipped for it as here."

"Ah, you need a doctor. What am I looking for?"

"I have concerns about my development. Superboy has been demonstrating more and more of Superman's powers while I have only developed some of his enhanced senses. I'm wondering why we're on such different tracks."

"Are you actually worried that you're not keeping up with him?"

"It's not so much that as I'm curious. I suppose it's the equivalent of wanting a routine physical check-up, but I can't use a local doctor."

"That...makes sense. I'll admit that I was wondering about your request to meet you here. It was phrased so formally."

Match smiled ruefully. "That's my regular tone. My brother tells me that I shouldn't be so stuffy."

Location: the Kent's farm

Conner noticed that Max seemed to be acting a bit distant. It was clear that he had something on his mind.

First, he decided to take the direct approach. "Max, what are you thinking about?"

"It's nothing important," Max replied.

Conner was surprised. Max didn't usually make such half-hearted attempts at evasion. He was also very clearly lying.

"I know you're not being truthful with me. Does it involve top secret matters that affect national security?"

"No."

"International security?"

"No."

"Are you having problems with Dan?"

"No."

"Are you going to give me any hints?"

"There's nothing to discuss."

Location: Metropolis, the Daily Planet

The phone rang, and Clark picked it up.

"This is Clark Kent," he said. "May I help you?"

"It's Conner," the voice replied. "Do you have a minute?"

"Is everything all right?" Clark asked, worried. "Ma and Pa are okay?"

"They're fine. I need to talk to you about Max."

"Is he okay?"

"He's acting weird. Something's up with him."

"What's he doing?"

"He's being really abrupt. He's also focusing on something that he won't talk about. I think it's some personal thing."

"Did you get in a fight with him?"

"No, he just came back from the weekend and was this way."

"Sometimes siblings fight for really odd reasons. Something which doesn't seem important to one is to the other. I've heard stories that Lois and Lucy fought over a hairbrush."

Lois poked her head in the door. "I heard my name being taken in vain."

"Conner's on the phone. He said that Max is acting weird."

"Does he know why?"

"No, that's why he's asking me."

Lois held out her hand. "Give it here, Smallville. Let the one of us who grew up with a sibling take the call."

"I think I can handle this just fine," Clark said, before turning his attention back to Conner. "Sorry, Lois came in my office and distracted me."

Conner told him something and a hurt look flashed across Clark's face before he held out the phone to Lois. "He wants to talk to you. He was trying to get you, but he could only find my office number."

Lois flashed a smile. "You save the world; I'll save the family."

"I want to save the family too," Clark grumbled.

"Conner, it's Lois. Tell me what's going on."

Lois listed for a while as he described Max's behavior.

"You haven't done anything different?" she asked.

"No," Conner told her. "That's what's driving me crazy!"

"It sounds to me like he's jealous."

"What?!"

"Don't blow out my eardrum! It sounds like he's specifically being short with you, so there's something you've gotten recently that he hasn't. Any ideas on what that might be?"

There was a pause while Conner searched his memory. "I got better healing but he's had that for ages."

"That could be it. He could be feeling threatened that you're getting everything that he has."

"So, is it threatened or jealous?"

"Maybe both. I'm not a shrink, you know."

"Thanks a lot. So, what do I do?"

"Nothing. He has to work this out himself."

"That's your advice? Just wait?"

"Yeah."

"I'm not sure I can take the cold shoulder for much longer. It's worse than him hitting me."

"You'll get through it. He's a good kid; he'll get over it soon."

Location: the Kent's farm

A couple days later, Max's behavior hadn't changed at all. Conner was trying to keep his temper in check; he had moved from feeling uncomfortable to feeling annoyed.

Dan came up to their room. This was a little unusual since he had already gone back to his home after dinner.

"Dan, is everything all right?" Max asked.

"You've been acting strange," Dan told him. "What's up?"

"It's...nothing."

"You may be able to lie to other people, but you can't do that to me. What's got you messed up?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

Dan pushed him onto the bed and climbed on top of him. "I'm going to keep you here until you tell me."

"This isn't funny-"

Max broke off as Dan's mouth met his. Conner got up to leave, but Dan stuck his leg out to block him.

"Don't go anywhere. I'm pretty sure this involves you," Dan said. "Max, are you going to talk, or am I going to have to get serious?"

"It's just your imagination-," Max started before he broke off as his neck started to get nuzzled.

"Please?" Dan asked, resorting to dirty tricks and giving Max a pleading look.

"You win," Max said. "You're too reckless for me; I can't win against you."

Conner sat down, and Dan made himself comfortable.

"I was concerned about my development, so I had Dr. Mid-Nite do a checkup," Max told them. "The results came back and while I may have a few more enhanced senses, those are the only other powers I'll develop."

"Why?" Conner asked. "How are we supposed to do that?"

"I've been exposed to Joker venom and dipped in a Lazarus Pit. Those and my constant emptying of my solar reserves really strained my system. I'm never going to be as strong or as powerful as you."

"That's why you've been in a funk?" Dan asked.

"There are some serious implications. Since I look like Superman, people will think that I'm as strong or tough as he is; I never will be, and that can be dangerous. I also thought I'd get to have these other powers that Conner has, but it's just senses for me. No heat vision, no x-ray vision, no natural strength or invulnerability. I was feeling a bit...jealous."

"I don't have any powers, and I get along just fine."

"I really wanted heat vision," Max whined. "I thought it would be cool."

"You've got a lot of skills that I don't have," Conner pointed you. "You know things I don't. I get jealous of that sometimes."

"You're much sexier than he is," Dan told Max.

Max blushed. "You're just saying that."

"I'm serious! You can tell because your boyfriend completely blows away his girlfriend!"

Dan grinned, and Max couldn't help from smiling back.

"Are you going to get up, or should I give you some private time?" Conner asked.

"Give us a little time," Dan said. "I need to cheer this guy up."

Conner beat a hasty retreat. He was glad that Dan had forced the issue, but he wondered how accurate Dr. Mid-nite's analysis was. He always expected Max to demonstrate those powers eventually. He had hoped that the two of them would eventually share Clark's mantle; it would have made the burden easier to bear.

-----

Any and all comments welcome!


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